The public hospitals in south Louisiana will delay the impending layoffs of almost 1,500 people as LSU and state health leaders work on arrangements that would shift many health care services to the private sector, Dr. Frank Opelka said in a letter to legislators. The LSU Health Care Services Division announced the layoffs -- originally slated for January -- earlier...

The public hospitals in south Louisiana will delay the impending layoffs of almost 1,500 people as LSU and state health leaders work on arrangements that would shift many health care services to the private sector, Dr. Frank Opelka said in a letter to legislators. The LSU Health Care Services Division announced the layoffs -- originally slated for January -- earlier this year as part of a budget reduction plan.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

But Opelka told lawmakers that he was holding off for now on moving forward because of the ongoing negotiations with private hospitals. Many of the entities LSU is talking with want to either continue or "possibly expand" the services to LSU patients, he wrote.

While Opelka said he was putting a "temporary hold" on layoffs pending the outcome of the negotiations, he cautioned that some layoffs are eventually likely. This is because private entities are discussing taking over both "inpatient and outpatient services currently being performed by LSU personnel."

If LSU needs to move forward with a layoff this fiscal year or next year, the system will try to provide advance notice so employes can try to get employment with the private entities, Opelka wrote.

The $152 million in cuts at the LSU hospitals and clinics, as well as the planned layoffs, were brought about by the sudden reduction of federal Medicaid dollars to the state this summer. The cuts significantly reduce hospital beds and clinical services in the seven hospitals that make up the public health safety net in south Louisiana.

While Opelka and state health secretary Bruce Greenstein have said the private-public arrangements will restore many services for LSU patients, exactly what that will look like in most communities remains unclear. State leaders also have not laid out the details of how the state will finance the new arrangements.

Opelka also noted that layoffs at two institutions are going forward in January. Five workers will lose their jobs at the W.O. Moss Medical Center in Lake Charles, while 42 employees will be laid off at Bogalusa Medical Center. At those two facilities, "no partnership is likely to result in the retention of all services," Opelka wrote.